Several Florida A&M University students have created the initiative FAMUnity to unify the greater Tallahassee area with FAMU. FAMUnity, a newly approved campus organization, allows students to give back to the community and receive community service hours at the same time.
The organization’s founder and president DeNishia Yearby said FAMUnity sets itself apart from other FAMU community service organizations because it serves as an outlet for students to showcase their talents, whether they are singing, dancing or playing sports at their events.
FAMUnity not only provides needed service, but entertains the community as well. To join this organization a student does not have to have a talent but must maintain a 2.0 grade point average.
Yearby said she came up with the idea to create the organization last semester. It came to her in a vision when she wrote a six-page strategic plan about what she can do to help President James Ammons improve FAMU and better the community.
She decided to start FAMUnity because she said she is very passionate about helping the University and providing service for the community service. It was established Dec. 5, 2007.
“My struggles help me to influence my visions,” said Yearby, 20, a junior broadcast journalism student from Chicago.
FAMUnity Vice President Tamickqa Johnson, 20, a junior cardiopulmonary science student from Queens, N.Y., came up with a street-ball game for FAMUnity’s first event.
Last December Johnson attended Christmas for Katrina in Louisiana, where she met a high school graduate who did not plan on attending college. Johnson said the student said he did not feel the need to attend college because nobody around him was going to college.
Johnson said she would like to implement a street-ball tournament to reach out to youth in outer communities and appeal to people to attend college.
The turnout from the street-ball tournament is the determining factor in which direction the organization will go for upcoming events.
Timeshia Globe, 23, a junior health science pre-physical therapy student from Atlanta, said she would be interested in joining FAMUnity.
“I think it’s a great way for people to be involved in community service who don’t already do community service,” Globe said. “It’s a great way to give back to the community.”
FAMUunity encourages its members and anyone who attends the events to donate items such as canned food and clothing at every event.
Yearby will be traveling to Africa in fall 2008. By going to Africa, she said she plans to help build awareness of the services FAMU students are performing to help others globally.
Both Yearby and Johnson are very passionate in achieving success for FAMUnity and will be recruiting members to come out to not only have fun, but to work and make a change.
“I think this would be a great way to enhance students to love this school more, and to get FAMU where it used to be,” Johnson said. “This is a each one, reach one organization all in unifying people.”
An “Introducing FAMUnity” informational meeting will be held Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. The location will be announced at a later date.
For more information and if you have any creative ideas for FAMUnity, please feel free to e-mail famunity@yahoo.com and join the Facebook “FAMUnity” group.